Joel was born yesterday the 14th of November at 2:20am!!! He is a blondie, weighed 9 lb 8 oz at birth and is 23” long. He has Stephen’s forehead and my chin. 👶
We labored at home from Sunday morning until Monday afternoon so that we were 7cm dilated when we checked into the hospital on Monday; after 10 hours of hospital labor, we got to see our baby boy, Joel Christopher Schuh. Then we got to celebrate him the rest of his birthday day!!
I love being a mama!! Joel is a good eater and sleeping pretty well for a newborn; we are so thankful for this gift!
My grandpa Howard served in World War II as a doctor; he helped save people’s lives during any battles –including the Battle of the Bulge. My dad was in the Naval reserves and almost had to go to the Korean War, and he was proud that he got to serve his country. I remember playing in his old navy uniform as a child.
My cousin was in the Marines, and now his son just joined the Air Force. My uncle served in the Korean War, and so I have many people to be thankful for this Memorial Day.
I am thankful for our country and all the people that have risked their lives to protect it!
Having a mother that is alive is such a gift. 🎁 My Mom has struggled with depression and over the last month has come out of a recent dark season–thanks to God, my aunt, medicine, and counseling. I’m thankful I could hang out with her yesterday and celebrate motherhood with her!
On April 16th, 2015, my boyfriend and I will have dated for six months… On the topic of flowers, Mr. Boyfriend remembers what I tell him, and then surprises me when I don’t expect him to. He did it again!
On Monday night, I walked in to hang out a bit and saw these:
2014: A Year of Leaping Ahead, Falling on my face, and getting back up again: A beautiful year
Second graders singing, with me playing the piano. This year I got a keyboard and started playing piano again!
A chocolate and flower birthday with friends.
Flying to North Carolina for spring break, getting so sick, and celebrating about a friend having a baby (that arrived a few weeks ago).
Getting hired as a Bible/Writing teacher, moving to the city and getting a wonderful apartment. Moving in on the hottest day of the year!
My nephew’s first birthday (I made him his cake).
My sister married her best friend, Danny! A city wedding full of cream colored roses…
School started and the students learned, and I learned a lot. Then that job ended unexpectedly, and I rested, healed, and connected with lots of loving people. Now I’m tutoring at a community college! I hope soon I can be an adjunct professor…
Forgiveness works! God knows how to direct life well. I’m so thankful nephew knows my name, and I’m dating a great guy.
I never thought my year would end in Napa Valley, California meeting a great guy’s family and who I’m falling in love with…life gives you lots of challenges, but if you trust that God is guiding you, life may hurt for a while, but you heal and grow stronger.
2015 is going to be amazing! I wish you the best 2015–full of hope, joy, and lots of love.
In a fruit processor grind the oranges and cranberries to a finely chopped mixture. Add the sugar and pulse until mixed into the relish.
Yield: About 4 cups
Home Schooling’s Black, White, and Gray: A Series on Home Schooling and Life-Long Learners
Series 1 Episode 1
Most junior high girls like to giggle about boys and lay out at a pool party, but not me. I didn’t know what it felt like to have crush until I was fifteen, and I wasn’t crazy about being in a bathing suit. At one pool party I attended in junior high, I splashed with the girls for a while, but then picked strawberries for an hour because the hostess offered strawberries to anyone who wanted to pick them. I baked some amazing fresh strawberry pie with those berries. I treasure the freedom and creativity being home schooled gave me, but it did not make me normal. But why should I be normal?!
Home schooling has a lot of white, but there is black as well, and some gray. Through this series of blog posts, I will be looking at the mediocre, the ugly, and the beautiful parts of home schooling. I do not mean to step on anybody’s toes, but I need to be honest and truthful. Being lovingly honest can bring healthy change; I desire to bring life through my writing.
Educating humans to be what they were created to be is a life passion of mine. I believe in giving students the freedom and structure needed to develop into healthy, robust, loving adults who will do more in the world than I ever will! Home schooling is one method of doing this, but it may not be the best pathway for all children; that is up to the parents and children to explore. However, home schooling molds students into people who may be more in-tune and willing to stand up for their uniqueness in this world full of cliques and conformity.
After attending traditional college, I came home and went through a time of evaluation and sadness. I let myself admit that being home schooled wasn’t perfect; I admitted that there were some dark-sides to home schooling. Since then I’ve worked through most of the anger I had once I realized some of the unhealthy parts of home schooling and have come into a time of acceptance and challenge.
Recently one morning while walking down a gravel road in Lincoln Marsh, it hit me: I CAN graciously critique home schooling, but I must begin with a confession of forgiveness and of thankfulness.
I forgive my parents for the gaps I had in my education; they did the best they could with the resources they had. No school is perfect. Period. Even home schools. I am so thankful for the faith and freedom they instilled in me. I learned how to learn, so I get to fill in those gaps now!
I thank my parents for sacrificing so much time and energy to pour into me and my siblings. My Mom has a Masters of Education and a Masters of Divinity, so she WAS qualified to home school me and my siblings. She could have done many other activities, but she desired to have the Bible be central to our education, so that’s what she did. I thank my grandparents for funding many textbook purchases and encouraging us in whatever creative project we were working on when they stopped by, be it comic books or silly children’s stories.
Thankful is where I am at in regarding my upbringing. Thankful for so much individualized love and nurture that my parents poured onto me. Thank you, Mom and Dad.
I appreciate all of you who have joined me during this year of blogging about transitions through LIFE! My life is so much better now than last year: I’m going deeper into my career, I’m more fulfilled, more loved, and much more happy!
Trees of Transition 